Koss KSC 75 - Best bang for the buck I have heard on wired phones, dirt cheap and can be made ideal fitting- Had two pairs, if I lived in the States would have a box of these... Give a pair to someone you want to show how much better sound they can get with almost no spending, they are just great and Fun!!
Nuform EDC8 - were supposed to be super neutral, but aren't...they reach deep, but sound cold, although microdynamics are exceptional and they have clarity.
Sennheiser 6XX- PITA to get these to Portugal, butawsome value and they are everything they are supposed to be. My favourite balance of virtues for long term satisfaction in non-EQed wired phones, and even better when corrected. My kids, (21/17) love them too, they instantly recognized how good they sound compared to everything else. My oldest had them for most of the year, to attend law school Zoom classes , for their voice quality and comfort.
Sony WH 1000 MK2- gave these to my wife for air travelling wich she did a lot before Covid....brilliant with ANC on, though lesser fi than Senns..(never heard them wired).Like these more than posterior versions, wich have too much bass for my taste.
Sennheiser HD800S - Covid took some more of my listening ability earlier this year, and soon to be 50, I decided it was time to get a real reference phone while I could still enjoy most of it and hear what it was all about..With my RME ADI 2 fs 1st gen DAC and suitable EQ, I get truly reference sound. The 6xx are wonderfull, great right out of the box, but these, EQed to get the proper bass and tame that peak at 5.4K blow them out of the water and make them sound muddy and constricted, and yes they soundstage...not like my concentric KEFs speakers, but more than any other phone I heard.... If you can, they are worth it, and a future classic too.
Find of the decade
SPC ZION PURE BLACK bluetooth in ears..These are a real find that you have to listen to believe..
Yes, I like fine dining,( HD800s) but sometimes street food can be as much or more rewarding ( read on..)
I didn't had Bluetooth in-ears, and wanted a dirt cheap pair I could take for jogging, soil it, bump it up around without worrying of loosing one, so wasn't going to spend 100 euros or more to find out how good they sounded..I looked around, checked specs and price and shapes, and selected these, with comensurate expectations. Well, I already bought 5 pairs. Yes, 5 : for me, my elder, my wife, and my mother and a 2nd pair for me when I lost one jogging as predicted (; my youngest already had bought a different set for him ). For 25 -30 euros full price, these have BT5.0, excellent range, super lite at 4 g, IP4 rain protection, 4-5h play plus two other recharges on the nice compact box , and very good fit (3 sizes). I hoped they would sound passable, maybe ok-ish sound, hoped they wouldn't be too screechy or muddy, but for that price therewas a slim chance..
I stroke gold by pure luck, they sound A-mazing!!!.. Not for their prize...not for basic BT in ears..just in absolute terms.They don't even have aptx HD, but somehow, out of pure luck or not, they sound unbeliveable. I can't detect any resonance anywhere, they never ever call attention to themselves, and I don't mean that in a beige kind of way.
Bass is lovely, super deep ( I hear low 30s linear) , voices are accurate and full spectrum intelligible, and highs sound delicate and just right, plenty, and never agressive.. They have great slam and solidity but delicacy too. Listen to Faith no More "Evidence" and the bass and drums have rock solid impact and extension with no bloat or muddyness, spring like speed ( 1st time out of the box they get a liitle more bass after 1h playing) whereas vocalnis great, and back vocal is full and floats solidly on the right. Play barroque Spanish guitar in a convent and all the harmonics and reverb and sense of space /ambience is just there, you are never aware of a little loudspeaker with its box in your ears, its uncanny...To put things in perspective: 8 to 9 times out of 10 I reach for them instead of the Senn 6XX at home (and I have a jack in my phone too, and the 6XX are still better for classes/long term speech listening fatigue and comfort but nowadays my kid uses her SPC Zion pair for anything else like I do).
No, I am not a REP for Zion , just a fellow enthusiast that wants to share with others this wonderfull find I stumbled up upon... Heck, I even have a pair of brand new, still packaged Samsung Buds+ we got in April for free when I bought my youngest a phone through the carrier, and it is there sitting and going for sale cause I am sure it can't be better sounding than these, I just don't care, these to me and my family sound just about perfect when you select the right tip and get a proper seal, I just don't care how good the reviews on the Samsung are, don't need them...
I think SPC no longer makes these, but there are plenty in stock around at sale price ( 4 of those pairs I bought throughout last year were at 22-24 euros) they are my audiophile find of the decade, better than the Koss and Senns 6xx in that regard and plain crazy good , and just wanted to share this with all of you, you will amazed, and for once the price is no obstacle.
And, this was an education too as it showed me in the flesh how the mos fancy codecs and SNR specs matter a lot less than a good frequency response and ressonance supression in transducers, check that too.
